New Buildings Institute (NBI) has released the Existing Building Decarbonization Code. NBI bills the document as “a new way for jurisdictions to reduce carbon emissions and meet climate action plan goals and interconnected goals around public health and equity.”
New construction represents less than 2% of building activity in any given year, NBI says, “leaving a vast opportunity to update technologies in the current building stock. By requiring existing buildings to be more energy efficient, cities could cut about 30% of all urban emissions by 2050.”
NBI’s released the Building Decarbonization Code—the first off-the-shelf solution for jurisdictions to transform energy codes into decarbonization codes for new buildings—in February 2020. Expanding on that platform, the Existing Building Decarbonization Code adds provisions for existing buildings covering both residential and commercial buildings, including all-electric and mix-fuel energy use pathways.
The new code provisions have been crafted to match reasonable and effective decarbonization strategies with replacement events. The code outlines strategies to pair key opportunities to decarbonize—including change of occupancy, additions, and alterations—with additional efficiency measures.
The Existing Building Decarbonization Code also incorporates trigger events and solutions for the inclusion of grid integration measures including renewable energy production, electric vehicles, and battery storage.
Related Stories
Building Team | Jul 25, 2022
First Ismaili Center in the U.S. combines Islamic design with Texas influences
Construction has begun on the first Ismaili Center in the U.S. in Houston.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2022
Office developers aim for zero carbon without offsets
As companies reassess their office needs in the wake of the pandemic, a new arms race to deliver net zero carbon space without the need for offsets is taking place in London, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2022
Hurricane-resistant construction may be greatly undervalued
New research led by an MIT graduate student at the school’s Concrete Sustainability Hub suggests that the value of buildings constructed to resist wind damage in hurricanes may be significantly underestimated.
School Construction | Jul 22, 2022
School integrating conventional medicine with holistic principles blends building and landscape
Design of the new Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Ark., aims to blend the building and landscape, creating connections with the surrounding woodlands and the Ozark Mountains.
Market Data | Jul 21, 2022
Architecture Billings Index continues to stabilize but remains healthy
Architecture firms reported increasing demand for design services in June, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Market Data | Jul 21, 2022
Despite deteriorating economic conditions, nonresidential construction spending projected to increase through 2023
Construction spending on buildings is projected to increase just over nine percent this year and another six percent in 2023, according to a new report from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Mixed-Use | Jul 21, 2022
Former Los Angeles Macy’s store converted to mixed-use commercial space
Work to convert the former Westside Pavilion Macy's department store in West Los Angeles to a mixed-use commercial campus recently completed.
Building Team | Jul 20, 2022
San Francisco overtakes Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction
San Francisco has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction, according to a new report from Turner & Townsend.
Libraries | Jul 20, 2022
Canada to open one of the world’s largest library and archive facilities
When it opens in 2026, Ādisōke is expected to be one of the largest library and archive facilities in the world.
Energy-Efficient Design | Jul 19, 2022
All is not lost: 3 ways architects can respond to the Supreme Court’s EPA ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from power plants dealt a significant blow to our ability to fight the climate crisis with federal policy.
